18 U.S. Code § 926 - Rules and regulations

(a)The Attorney General may prescribe only such rules and regulations as are necessary to carry out the provisions of this chapter, including—

(1)regulations providing that a person licensed under this chapter, when dealing with another person so licensed, shall provide such other licensed person a certified copy of this license;

(2)regulations providing for the issuance, at a reasonable cost, to a person licensed under this chapter, of certified copies of his license for use as provided under regulations issued under paragraph (1) of this subsection; and

(3)regulations providing for effective receipt and secure storage of firearms relinquished by or seized from persons described in subsection (d)(8) or (g)(8) ofsection
922.

No such rule or regulation prescribed after the date of the enactment of the Firearms Owners’ Protection Act may require that records required to be maintained under this chapter or any portion of the contents of such records, be recorded at or transferred to a facility owned, managed, or controlled by the United States or any State or any political subdivision thereof, nor that any system of registration of firearms, firearms owners, or firearms transactions or dispositions be established. Nothing in this section expands or restricts the Secretary’s [1] authority to inquire into the disposition of any firearm in the course of a criminal investigation.

(b)The Attorney General shall give not less than ninety days public notice, and shall afford interested parties opportunity for hearing, before prescribing such rules and regulations.

(c)The Attorney General shall not prescribe rules or regulations that require purchasers of black powder under the exemption provided in section
845(a)(5) of this title to complete affidavits or forms attesting to that exemption.

1986—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 99–308, § 106(1)–(4), designated existing provision as subsec. (a), and in subsec. (a) as so designated, in provision preceding par. (1) substituted “may prescribe only” for “may prescribe” and “as are” for “as he deems reasonably”, and in closing provision substituted provision that no rule or regulation prescribed after May 19, 1986, require that records required under this chapter be recorded at or transferred to a facility owned, managed, or controlled by the United States or any State or political subdivision thereof, nor any system of registration of firearms, firearms owners, or firearms transactions or dispositions be established and that nothing in this section expand or restrict the authority of the Secretary to inquire into the disposition of any firearm in the course of a criminal investigation for provision that the Secretary give reasonable public notice, and afford an opportunity for a hearing, prior to prescribing rules and regulations.

1968—Pub. L. 90–618inserted provisions authorizing the Secretary to prescribe regulations requiring a licensee, when dealing with another licensee, to provide such other licensee a certified copy of the license, and regulations authorizing the issuance of certified copies of the license required under this chapter.

Effective Date of 2002 Amendment

Amendment by Pub. L. 107–296effective 60 days after Nov. 25, 2002, see section 4 ofPub. L. 107–296, set out as an Effective Date note under section
101 of Title
6, Domestic Security.